


Call My Bluff

by StardustSprinkler



Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Confrontations, Deal, Other, Punishments, challenge, wrath - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-13 23:07:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20182228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StardustSprinkler/pseuds/StardustSprinkler
Summary: After Eros goes on the warpath, Ares returns to Olympus to strike a deal with Zeus.





	Call My Bluff

**Author's Note:**

> If you hate Zeus as much as I do and are interested in an alternate ending of Episode 69, enjoy!

It had been six months since he had seen Aphrodite. It wasn’t the longest he had gone without her, not by a long shot, but it still weighed on him. He was not without his joys; he reveled in racing his chariot across the chaotic and gory battlefields. It was his duty to create conflict, and combat was as sweet as ambrosia to him. But what could be sweeter than Aphrodite? The world knew peace when war found himself in her arms.

He snorted. If only that Apollo could hear his thoughts. That cocky bastard would tease him relentlessly for encroaching on his territory, sitting here and waxing poetic. Ares finished fastening his cuirass and let his fingers drift across a large collection of spears and swords as he selected his weapons for a new day of battle. His attention was quickly diverted as Hermes burst through the opening of his tent. The messenger of the gods was sporting a lovely, dark purple bruise on the right side of his face. Ares’ lips parted to comment, eyeing the mark, but Hermes cut him off, “Yeah, your son’s _really_ great at showing gratitude.” Eyebrows raised in shock, Ares tried hard to bite back a bark of laughter before asking, “No, really, who did you piss off this time?”

Hermes glared at him and cleared his throat, “_Eros_ went on the warpath today and shot down three hundred innocent mortals over some girl. Zeus is ten kinds of pissed.” “You’re kidding? Over three hundred mortals? What in Tartarus does Zeus think _I _do for a living?” Ares scoffed.

“Weeeell, small detail here, but this girl is a human that he was illegally harboring in Olympus. Also, would you look at what he did to my face! I was trying to stop him!” Rolling his eyes, Ares brushed past him, “Somehow, I think you’ll be all right.” He felt Hermes’ hand grasp his shoulder, “Ares, you’re not taking this seriously. He’s sitting outside Zeus’ office right now, waiting to discuss punishment.” Hermes flinched as his wrist was gripped and squeezed almost to the point of breaking. Ares’ expression bordered on murderous, “WHAT!?” Before Hermes could offer a reply, the war god had shot off through the sky, leaving nothing but the echo of a furious growl sweeping across the landscape.

Hermes rubbed his wrist gingerly, already able to see finger-shaped bruises forming. “Oh _come on!_ I swear to Gaia I’m not running messages to either of them for a century…”

* * *

Zeus folded his hands on his desk and pushed forward, “He doesn’t have a permit for such an act of wrath—” He was cut off by the door crashing open with enough force to embed itself in the adjacent wall. Ares stood in the doorway, the detached handle still clutched and crumpling in his fist. Aphrodite’s expression flittered between shock, worry, and some amount of relief. “Ares! I-”

But the eyes of the belligerent god had already locked on his target. His voice was unsettlingly quiet. “Aphrodite, take Eros outside. _Now. _Zeus and I have something to discuss.” She needed no further encouragement and pulled their son out to the lobby so quickly he had to stumble after her.

“Hello, Ares.”

“Well hello, _Dad_. Do you want to tell me why you’re doling out sentences to your own _grandson_ but not your favorite twins?!”

“Do I need to remind you, Ares, that I am your king?” Zeus strolled to the front of his desk and braced his hands on the edge before leaning against it. “My decisions don’t require your counsel, _son_.”

Ares’ lips curled into a snarl, “I slaughter thousands of mortals when you deem a war fated. I wipe nations clear off the map for you. You expect me to believe you give a shit about a few hundred puny humans?”

“I don’t make those decisions alone, the Fates—”

“Sure, sometimes it’s the Fates, sometimes it’s a tempting new princess you want as a spoil of war.” Ares smiled at his father, but it did nothing to hide the coldness in his eyes. “It doesn’t really matter to me. I always deliver, don’t I?”

“None of that changes the fact that this doesn’t concern you.”

“Eros _is_ my concern.”

“And my concern is the entirety of Earth and Olympus!” Electricity crackled in the air as Zeus stepped towards his son, “I could strip away his title as an Olympian for this!”

“Go ahead.” Ares closed the distance between them, his face inches away from his father’s. “Take his title. Take mine, hell take Aphrodite’s too! Men may not die in battle, but let’s see how many mortals you’ll make without your deities of _love _and _sex._”

Fine lines of lightning darted through Zeus’ hair as his expression darkened, “Do not threaten me-”

Ares cut him off as he turned away, “But you’re the almighty King of the Gods! How could I threaten you?” He eased himself into one of the armchairs and began slowly digging congealed mortal blood from underneath his jagged fingernails. “I’m merely your first born, worshipped by every ruler of every nation, capable of stirring enough resentment and discontent on Olympus to make the Titanomachy look like a _fucking grade school fight_ but-” He let the silence rule the room for a moment before locking eyes with Zeus, “I’d never do that. Would I, Dad?”

A twitched formed under Zeus’ left eye, but he said nothing.

“My war in Argos, I’ll put an end to it today. The lives spared will far outnumber his casualties.”

“Then take him and _get out_.” 

Ares’ lips split into a wide grin, “I’ll be sure to tell him about your change of heart. You make a great point, you know. A stern warning _should_ be enough to get the message across.” He stood and made a move to leave.

“Ares!” Zeus’ voice boomed across the room. The god of war froze, but looked unfazed. “You know I won’t let you play this card again.”

A slight pause. “I won’t ask you to.” Then, Ares gave a mock bow. “See you around, your majesty.”

_Finis_

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a slut for comments and kudos <3


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